Crysis Could Go Free-to-Play Using a Co-Op Mode, Crytek Admits

The franchise can easily be turned into a free online experience

Crysis 3 Producer Michael Read believes the first-person shooter series could see a free-to-play installment that focuses only on a co-op mode or other such aspects

Crytek is getting ready to release Crysis 3 next week onto the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 platforms; but, at the same time, it's heavily involved in the free-to-play market, with Warface, and has talked more than once about the future of the Crysis series.

According to Crysis 3 producer, Michael Read, the future might take place in an alternate universe, in order to respect the original trilogy made by the studio so far.

"[Crysis] was defined as a trilogy originally back in 2007," Read told Videogamer.

"And we got that far. We got to the end of it. But we didn't want to go in [to the next Crysis] and go, 'Yeah, Crysis 3, Crysis 2, this story was originally an FPS so let's do an FPS-RTS hybrid!' It completely detaches from that, and it's just like creating that alternate timeline of going, 'Okay, what can we do over here?'"

The direction hasn't been set, according to Read, but there are plenty of aspects that could work in a free-to-play installment of Crysis, such as one that focuses on cooperation instead of going solo or playing competitively online.

"Whether it's some crazy co-op - I think co-op with Nanosuits would be awesome, personally. That's something we've talked about. Whether it's an FPS game, or an RTS game, or a hybrid-game, I don't know," he said.

"That's really up to our design guys and what they want to end up coming up with and establishing that vision. There are so many different directions that we could go in right now and when we have something to talk about we'll get it out there."

While not a lot of things are certain about the next Crysis, it's definitely going to be powered by the company's CryEngine technology and appear on the PC as well as next-gen consoles.